In an X post from TesAli, a Tesla engineer explains why Tesla Cybercab only has two seats. The decision is data driven. 82% of miles driven today are by 2 or fewer passengers. For those trips the back seat wasn’t needed. To make a car with back seats cost more money. You need to have the seat, seat mount, seat belts, side impact air bags, rear ventilation and lighting. Each of those parts have a cost. The engineer says Cybercab has half the number of parts a Model 3. As a robotaxi, if back seats are present, they needed to be cleaned and that increases maintenance cost and adds more downtime. Cybercab with two seats is also smaller and can be more aerodynamic which increases energy efficient and thus lowers the cost per mile. For those reasons, Tesla created a Cybercab with just 2 seats needed to cover the majority of rides. For the 18% of rides that need more passenger space, there’ll be Model 3 and Y.
An audience at the event asks about the winged doors. Tesla explains they make it easy to enter and exit.